RotoSynthesis Blog Posts for MLB

Instant Replay in MLB

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 07:00 AM 0000

There are plenty of good arguments for and against the use of instant replay to call close plays in Major League Baseball. The one Buck Showalter offered on SportsCenter last night was neither.

World Series Game 1 Live Blog

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 29:00 PM 0000

I really like the idea of putting Ben Francisco in left and putting Raul Ibanez at DH. I'd recommend doing the same with a right-hander on the mound for the Yanks. Though the Phillies might be tempted to get Matt Stairs' bat in the lineup instead.

Quick LCS predictions

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:00 PM 0000

Making predictions is a fool's errand. Having some analytical chops doesn't do much good either. If it did, Bill James, Nate Silver and Marcel the Monkey would all own their own islands. Of course, that's not going to stop me.

Savvy Owner Notes Vol. 1 - Ian Stewart

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 27:00 PM 0000

After each MLB season, we go through our cheat sheets and rankings and remove old position eligibility (i.e. Alexei Ramirez won't be eligible at 2B in 2010). Occasionally, this process reveals an overlooked surprise or two, which we'll pass along throughout the offseason for those who remain hungry for baseball nuggets over the winter.

Traveshamockery

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 05:00 AM 0000

There's no other way to describe MLB's decision to stage today's Angels-Red Sox at 12:07 pm ET.

Thanks, Phil Cuzzi

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 25:00 PM 0000

On Friday's RotoWire Fantasy Sports Hour, I thanked umpire C.B. Bucknor for his two blown calls in Thursday's Red Sox-Angels game because it gave me example to use as the "worst call ever." Well, sorry C.B., you're going to have to work a little harder at sucking. Hey, maybe Phil Cuzzi can teach you a thing or two.

The Best Team Almost Never Wins

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 40:00 PM 0000

Forget the Yankees' weak back-end starting pitching, Joe Girardi's shaky managerial tactics or any nebulous concerns about the team's state of mind.

The biggest reason to bet against the Bombers, or any team with the best record in any season comes down to simple mathematics.

Bring on the Hot Stove League for Mets (Conclusion)

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 32:00 PM 0000

Last week I continued my breakdown of the Mets, covering the rest of the infield, and discussed ways they might go about their 2010 and beyond team building plans. Today we cover the rest of the roster.

Seeing Reds

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 40:00 PM 0000

Has anyone noticed that the Reds are getting really cool? Sure, they're still coached by Dusty Baker. And sure, they still play their home games almost literally a stone's throw from Kentucky (a state whose influence certainly can't be a positive one). But point your internet browser to RotoWire's unrivaled, up-to-the-minute team depth charts and checkity-check what's going on there: young, interesting players are invading the Reds starting lineup. To wit:

Rookie pitcher analysis -- Oakland Athletics

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 40:00 AM 0000

After looking at Baltimore's rookie starters, I now take a look at another team with a young pitching staff -- the Oakland Athletics.

Bring on the Hot Stove League for the Mets (Part 2)

Sat, 12 Sep 2009 20:00 PM 0000

Last week I started my break-down of the Mets, position by position, taking a hack at what their starting lineup might look like or at the very least, where they might be going in 2010. To briefly recap last week, at catcher and first base, unless the Mets were to make a trade, it appears they will go with a short-term veteran at each position respectively for the upcoming season, most likely including the return of Carlos Delgado. A stop-gap solution appears very logical as 2008 first round pick Ike Davis established himself as a legitimate power threat and will start 2010 in AA, if not AAA due to 233 plate appearances already at the former minor league level.

Rookie pitcher analysis -- Baltimore Orioles

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 29:00 AM 0000

I continue digging through this year's pitch data to give you an in-depth analysis of this year's rookie starting pitchers, starting with the Baltimore Orioles.

Bring on the Hot Stove League for the Mets....

Sat, 5 Sep 2009 31:00 PM 0000

It’s September and for more than half my life, I can remember that this was the time of year when I started thinking about the following season’s lineups. I remember vividly sitting in high school and even back in college back before the Internet had much, if anything, to do with fantasy baseball, just drawing columns on my 8x11 piece of loose leaf paper, one for each team, penciling in positions in the margin, and staring off into space, puzzling off the top of my head the permutations available on each roster. What a great way to get through a boring class or lecture while somehow not sabotaging my scholastic goals.

Early Returns on Roster Expansion Madness

Thu, 3 Sep 2009 54:00 AM 0000

Last week, fellow RotoSynthesizer* Rob Leibowitz discussed September roster expansion and its implications for the fantasy player. I agree with Rob that it's an exciting time of year -- especially for those of us in keeper leagues looking to get a sense of an organization's intentions for 2010.

*Is this the term?

Just a couple of days into the new month, RotoWire's Recent Debuts page is as active as it probably will be all season (with the exception of early April, maybe). Not every personnel decision has been made, but there are already enough to take a look at some early returns.

Here are three players of note as we head into the final month of regular season play.

Anatomy of a pitching meldown, part 3 -- Ricky Nolasco and Joe Saunders

Wed, 2 Sep 2009 03:00 PM 0000

In the final part of this series, I take a look at Ricky Nolasco and Joe Saunders, and try to figure out how they got off track.

Stop Mocking David Wright

Wed, 2 Sep 2009 22:00 AM 0000

Instead of mocking David Wright and his new batting helmet, we should be applauding him for having the good sense to protect himself.

Who Closes in Arizona?

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 07:00 AM 0000

Chad Qualls dislocated his kneecap on the final play of the game on Sunday, getting the save but needing help off the field afterward. He's due for an MRI today. Meanwhile, the D-Backs have traded away the two most likely closers-in-waiting in Jon Rauch and Tony Pena.

NL West Schedule Analysis

Sun, 30 Aug 2009 00:00 AM 0000

From September 1 through the end of the regular season on October 4, the Dodgers, Rockies, and Giants have widely-divergent prospects, according to who's in the opposing dugout.

Anatomy of a pitching meltdown, part 2: Manny Parra and Jeremy Guthrie

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 08:00 PM 0000

Milwaukee’s Manny Parra went from being about average last year (his first full season in the Majors) to being absolutely terrible this year. So what changed for this promising young left-hander?

Arizona Fall League Rosters Announced-Loaded With Talent

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 08:00 PM 0000

Preliminary rosters for the Arizona Fall League were announced today. The rosters are loaded with talent. In the past, however, for one reason or another some preliminary names were removed when the games actually began. So this list is subject to alteration.

Anatomy of a pitching meltdown, part 1 -- Scott Kazmir

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 25:00 PM 0000

Tampa Bay’s Scott Kazmir tops my list of this year’s underachieving pitchers, and with a quick look at his numbers, I think few would argue with that choice. Last year, Kazmir posted a very respectable 3.49 ERA, with a whopping 166 strikeouts in only 152.1 innings pitched. He has followed it up so far this year with a miserable 6.17 ERA, with only 81 K’s in 105 innings. So what accounts for this drastic downfall? Well, I delved into his pitch data from 2008 and 2009 to see if I could figure it out. Here’s what I found:

Quantifying Patience and Timing in Fantasy Baseball

Sat, 22 Aug 2009 39:00 PM 0000

What we can learn from buying lowest, David Ortiz, and partial-season dollar values.

Strasburg's Nickname

Sat, 22 Aug 2009 13:00 AM 0000

Now that the kid has signed, it's time to talk about something really important: what his nickname is going to be in the majors.

A Look at the Pirates Future: Part Two The Corners

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 52:00 PM 0000

Continuing our look at the Pirates organization, it brings us to the corner positions where they have an abundance of talent in both the majors and minors.

A Look at the Pirates Future: Part One Catchers

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 01:00 PM 0000

The Pirates, in what seems like a never-ending rebuilding effort, have actually placed their organization in a position where they now actually have a good deal of talent and depth at multiple positions – primarily at the corners, catcher, and consequently right or left field as a fall back for those players who can fit anywhere else.